How Long?

Rusty McDonald

Rusty McDonald

KNIFE MAKER
Ok just to get a topic started,

How Long on average does it take you to finish a Forged blade from start to finish and lets stick to carbon steel and not Damascus, we know that takes longer?

For me I can have hunter finished in about 20 man hours of working on one if I stick to that same blade which I rarely do. I usually forge 2 or 3 out and stick with the one I like the best first.
There is a MS that I wont name that said he can complete a hunter a day with no problem.
 
about a year on the average!..

no, it depends on how thick it is. If it's the 3/8" 1095 I have, it takes a couple hours even with the 4 pounder. Thin 01 if I don't hit it red short, I can get mostly get forged in hour I guess. Finishing it is another day or two though.

I take around 20 hours to finish knife I guess. I'm slow though.
 
I mean from start of the forge to giving it to the customer. beginning to end, Alpha to Omega. you know that kind of stuff.
 
A day for me,in damascus, and sorry to break your stated rule, but I havn't made a knife that wasn't damascus in 7 or 8 years.
 
The one I'm working on now is a 7.5" fighter, with a gard I made out of copper, looking at 25 hours when the knife is done. I think it's a good guess, in that I only need to finsh sand the handle, and touch up the guard.
 
I don't think I'm qualified to answer this Rusty!

My ADD is way too bad for me to be a reliable source :bud:

After a lot of years I can actually do most of this stuff fairly fast IF I can focus. I've had students here, one comes back a lot and has become a friend, Rolland. Rolland gets frustrated with me because he'll come here and watch me rough grind a blade in 10 minutes... but then see me toss it in a drawer with 100 others. He says it takes him at least an hour and it wouldn't be as precise. (but he finishes stuff!)

My time adds up with the fine details... hand sanding everything, fluting spacers, etc.

The fastest I've EVER made a knife... 6 hours. I had a piece of damascus lying on the bench, I forged it into a hunter, ground, heat-treated, hand-sanded, fit the guard, etched, and fit the stag taper and epoxied it together in 5 hours. Finished it the next day in about an hour.

That's by far an extreme for me though. I have a dagger that I spent over 30 hours JUST on the guard. huh1


edited to add: I found a pic of that hunter...

4.jpg
 
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I have gotten to where I can forge a hunter blade and have it rough ground in about an hour. From there The ADD as you put it kicks in with me and I go looking for other stuff to do because Filing shoulders and doing guards is a PITA and by the time I get one done I want to change the guard or put a spacer or flute the spacer or start all over again. It has gotten better since I got a small wheel attachment for my KMG. OH! just thought of something I just got me one of them fancy Rotating platens and havent put a fixed blade(not realy the blade but the handle) on it yet HMmmm. wonder if my propane is full.
 
Rusty McDonald said:
Either way I still like your knives. Have to learn that Damascus stuff some time I guess.
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Naa, you don't want to start forging where you're at:D at least it cools off here ocassionally, and little bit of hard water fall from the clouds.
Just give me a call if you need some.
 
Delbert Ealy said:
Naa, you don't want to start forging where you're at:D at least it cools off here ocassionally, and little bit of hard water fall from the clouds.
Just give me a call if you need some.
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I used to do the HVAC thing I've got squirl cage fans everywhere lol But Im a big fella and that doesnt always work.
 
Hi all,
I usually forge a blade in 45min, grinding 1hr, heattreat 2hrs, final sanding1hr, drilling, etching, blade treatment 1hr, handle prep 1hr, glue cure overnight, handle shape 2hr , detailing 1hr. So about 10 hours on a simple full tang knife. More of course if a guard and butt cap is used.
So good forgin to you.
 
Hi Rusty,
If I push, depending on handle material, about 10 Hours. I do know a master smith that could do Two Hunters a day. That was about 10 years ago. He is not as fast now as he used to be.
Mike
 
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